I Canít Keep Up Ė What TV Should I Watch?

There are a lot of science fiction programs on TV at the moment -- Continuum, Defiance, Dominion, Falling Skies, Lost Girl, Orphan Black, The 100 -- but which are worth watching?

I have a problem. I love science fiction and fantasy in the form of books, graphic novels, films, and TV shows. Once upon a time, there really wasn't too much adult science fiction and fantasy on television. Now, there seems to be a surfeit of the stuff -- so much so, in fact, that I donít have a clue what to watch.

One issue is that I tend to get sucked into things. Once I've become involved in a series, I typically have to watch it all the way to the bitter end (itís a bit like being obsessive-compulsive without the anxiety disorder part). As you can imagine, this is something of a pain if it turns out to be a not-so-good show. (Although it's not science fiction or fantasy, I'm currently fighting with myself, trying desperately not to start watching Hill Street Blues from the very beginning, but that's another story.)

Now, it goes without saying that I'll be watching whatever Doctor Who comes my way. As I've mentioned before, I watched the very first episode on a Saturday in November 1963 from behind the sofa when I was six years old, and I donít think I've missed one since (which is fortunate, because those plonkers at the BBC have lost a lot of the early material). FYI, Season 8 with Peter Capaldi, the new Doctor, is coming in August -- have you seen this trailer?

Also, I have to admit that I've been enjoying The Last Ship for the past few weeks now. There are a few obvious holes in the plot, but it's still well worth watching. And, now I come to think about it, I cannot wait for the next season of the Big Bang Theory.

The thing is that I have a limited amount of free time available to me. My weekday evenings are pretty much filled with family stuff, so we're left with the weekends. My wife (Gina the Gorgeous) is a realtor, which means she works on the weekends. Although I obviously miss not having her around at the weekends, this does mean that I have Saturday and Sunday free to do whatever I wish.

Of course, I do spend a lot of time working on my hobby projects, like my BADASS Display. But I also like to take a break, read a book, or watch a film or a couple of episodes of a science fiction/fantasy program on TV.

And thus we come to the crux of the biscuit. I've seen adverts for a whole lot of science fiction programs recently. Some of these are already several seasons old, but I can always get the earlier material from the iTunes Store. These programs look extremely tempting, but I cannot possibly watch them all, so I was hoping to elicit your advice. Have you watched -- or are you currently watching -- any of the following?

Continuum

Defiance

Dominion

Falling Skies

Lost Girl

Orphan Black

The 100

If you are au fait with one or more of the above, it would be wonderful if you could share your opinions in the comments below. Do any deserve a particularly big thumbs-up? Do any demand a resounding Bronx cheer? And are there any that I've missed out?

@Douglas442: It would have taken a real fan of the show to have labeled that movie "OK". More accurately, it seemed as if FOX's intent might have been to deliberately sabotage the return of the series.

@garydpdx: Tonight, I am going to try out The Strain, which debuted last week. :)

I read the books so I had to watch this myself. I was out of the office all last week with no access to the Internet, so I downloaded the first episode and watched it yesterday, plus I DVR'd episodes 2 and 3. As far as I could see, episode 1 very closely matched the start of the first book in the trilogy. It's not the best, but it's not bad -- I'm looking forward to watching more episodes...

Max said: "Yes, I should have said Fox TV in conjunction with BBC. I had so much hope for that film ... until I saw it ... I mean, it was OK, but that was it ... just OK ..."

It would have taken a real fan of the show to have labeled that movie "OK". More accurately, it seemed as if FOX's intent might have been to deliberately sabotage the return of the series. No fault of the cast - I personally thought McGann was actually quite well suited to the role. Too bad they wasted it.

And... well, apologies for that... the then president of FOX Network hailed from a family native to my own home town... buddies and cronies with some folks that I *used* to work for. Somehow... I feel partially responsible.

Max said: "But the 2005 relaunch was everything I coudl have hoped ... I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!"

No question that I would agree. What amazes me is how they can pack so much into one hour episodes, and still manage to pull off such satisfyingly entertaining stories. This is a sure sign of creative talent... with great acting as a bonus. And though some may never be able to get past Tom Baker...

( who really was great!... I mean, who else could smile manically while delivering lines like: "I say, what a wonderful butler! He's so violent!"... and get away with it? )

... the new series casts have also certainly had a lot going for them, as well. And not just the actors in the title role. Speaking of which......

Max said: "@betajet: "Who can believe that by the 25th Century they haven't developed a cure for baldness?" I sure they had -- it was a personal choice."

It certainly hasn't done Karen Gillan ( Amy Pond to Matt Smith's Doctor ), a tremendous actress in her own right, any harm to her career, at least:

And, if comic-book movies aren't your thing, she has also starred in the recent "cult classic" thriller, Oculus.... and will be co-starring in a new American ABC series, Selfie, in the fall. Hope it all goes well for her, as I think she deserves success.